Fellow

{{Short description|Title and form of address for learned or skilled individual}}

{{redirect|Fellowship|other uses|Fellowship (disambiguation)|and|Fellow (disambiguation)}}

A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.{{cite web|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/fellow|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814133343/https://www.lexico.com/definition/fellow|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 14, 2020|website=Lexico.com|publisher=Oxford University Press|title=Definition of fellow |access-date=16 March 2021}}{{Cite web |title=Definition of 'fellow' |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fellow |access-date=16 March 2021}} Within institutions of higher education, a fellow is a member of a highly ranked group of teachers at a particular college or university or a member of the governing body in some universities. It can also be a specially selected postgraduate student who has been appointed to a post (called a fellowship) granting a stipend, research facilities and other privileges for a fixed period (usually one year or more) in order to undertake some advanced study or research, often in return for teaching services. In the context of medical education in North America, a fellow is a physician who is undergoing a supervised, sub-specialty medical training (fellowship) after having completed a specialty training program (residency). Lastly, In large, R&D-intensive institutions, the term denotes a small number of senior scientists and engineers.

Education and academia{{anchor|Education|Academia}}

In education and academia there are several kinds of fellowships, awarded for different reasons.

=Teaching fellowships=

The title of (senior) teaching fellow is used to denote an academic teaching position at a university or similar institution and is roughly equivalent to the title of (senior) lecturer. The title (senior) fellow can also be bestowed to an academic member of staff upon retirement who continues to be affiliated to a university in the United Kingdom.

The term teaching fellow or teaching assistant is used, in the United States and United Kingdom, in secondary school, high school and middle school setting for students or adults that assist a teacher with one or more classes.{{cite web |url=http://www.teachingfellows.org/ |website=teachingfellows.org |title=North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program |publisher=Teaching Fellows |access-date=2013-12-04 |archive-date=2013-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209070142/http://www.teachingfellows.org/ |url-status=dead }}

=Medical fellowships=

In US medical institutions, a fellow refers to someone who has completed residency training (e.g. in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, general surgery, etc.) and is currently in a 1- to 3-year subspecialty training program (e.g. cardiology, sleep medicine, pediatric nephrology, transplant surgery, etc.).

=Research fellowships=

==As an academic position{{anchor|Position}}==

The title of research fellow may be used to denote an academic position at a university or a similar institution; it is roughly equivalent to the title of lecturer in the Commonwealth teaching career pathway.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

==As a financial grant{{anchor|Funding}}==

Research fellow may also refer to the recipient of academic financial grant or scholarship.

For example, in Germany, institutions such as the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation offer research fellowship for postdoctoral research and refer to the holder as research fellows, while the award holder may formally hold a specific academic title at their home institution (e.g., Privatdozent).[http://www.avh.de/web/884.html Ten Years' Growth - What Fruit Has the Georg Forster Programme Borne?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217084934/http://www.avh.de/web/884.html |date=2019-02-17 }}, Retrieved on 18 Feb 2009

These are often shortened to the name of the programme or organization, e.g. Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow rather than Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow, except where this might cause confusion with another fellowship, (e.g. Royal Society University Research Fellowship.{{cite web|url=https://royalsociety.org/fellows/research-fellows-directory/|title=Research Fellows Directory|publisher=Royal Society|location=London|access-date=19 June 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503045104/https://royalsociety.org/fellows/research-fellows-directory/|archive-date=3 May 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/engineering/departments/chemical-engineering/people/fellows/|title=Research Fellows|publisher=Imperial College London|access-date=19 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612153642/http://www.imperial.ac.uk/engineering/departments/chemical-engineering/people/fellows/|archive-date=12 June 2016|url-status=dead}} Contains examples (as of 19 June 2016) of staff titled "Research Fellow", "Junior Research Fellow", "Royal Society – EPSRC Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow" and "Royal College of Surgeons Research Fellow".{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203164426/https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/university-research/|archive-date=2016-02-03|url=https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/university-research/|publisher=Royal Society|title=University Research Fellowship: for outstanding scientists in the UK}}{{cite journal|last1=Cook|first1=Alan|author-link1=Alan Cook (physicist)|title=URFs become FRS: Frances Ashcroft, Athene Donald and John Pethica|journal=Notes and Records of the Royal Society|volume=54|issue=3|year=2000|pages=409–411|doi=10.1098/rsnr.2000.0181|s2cid=58095147}})

In the context of graduate school in the United States and Canada, a fellow is a recipient of a postgraduate fellowship. Examples include the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, the DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship, the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Rosenthal Fellowship, the Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship, the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship and the Presidential Management Fellowship. It is granted to prospective or current students, on the basis of their academic or research achievements.

In the UK, research fellowships are awarded to support postdoctoral researchers such as those funded by the Wellcome Trust{{cite web|url=https://wellcome.ac.uk/funding/sir-henry-wellcome-postdoctoral-fellowships|title=Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships|publisher=Wellcome Trust|website=wellcome.ac.uk|location=London|author=Anon|year=2016}} and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).{{cite web|publisher=Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council|location=Swindon|author=Anon|year=2016|url=http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/filter/david-phillips/|website=bbsrc.ac.uk|title=David Phillips Fellowships}} At ETH Zurich, postdoctoral fellowships support incoming researchers.{{cite web|title=ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowships (ETH Fellows)|url=https://www.ethz.ch/en/research/research-promotion/eth-internal-programmes/eth-fellowships.html|website=ethz.ch|author=Anon|year=2016}} The MacArthur Fellows Program (aka "genius grant") as prestigious research fellowship awarded in the United States.

=Fellowships as a training program{{anchor|Training}}=

Fellowships may involve a short placement for capacity building,"Graduate Fellowships and Traineeship Programs", in: Assessment of NIH Minority Research and Training Programs: Phase 3. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22667/]{{cite web|url=https://instituteforpr.org/differentiating-between-internships-and-fellowships/|title=Differentiating Between Internships and Fellowships|first=Ron|last=Culp|date=19 February 2013}} e.g., to get more experience in government, such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science's fellowships{{cite web|url=https://www.aaas.org/fellowships|title=Fellowships|website=American Association for the Advancement of Science}} and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellowship programs. Some institutions offer fellowships as a professional training program as well as a financial grant, such as the Balsillie School of International Affairs, where tuition and other fees are paid by the fellowship.

=Fellowships as a special membership grade=

Fellows are often the highest grade of membership of many professional associations or learned societies, for example, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Chartered Governance Institute or Royal College of Surgeons. Lower grades are referred to as members (who typically share voting rights with the fellows), or associates (who may or may not, depending on whether "associate" status is a form of full membership).

Additional grades of membership exist in, for example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

Fellowships of this type can be awarded as a title of honor in their own right, e.g. the Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) or Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng).

Exclusive learned societies such as the Royal Society have Fellow as the only grade of membership.

Appointment as an honorary fellow in a learned or professional society can be either to honour exceptional achievement or service within the professional domain of the awarding body or to honour contributions related to the domain from someone who is professionally outside it. Membership of the awarding body may or may not be a requirement.

How a fellowship is awarded varies for each society, but may typically involve some or all of these:

A qualifying period in a lower grade
Passing a series of examinations
Nomination by two existing fellows who know the applicant professionally
Evidence of continued formal training post-qualification
Evidence of substantial achievement in the subject area
Submission of a thesis or portfolio of works which will be examined
Election by a vote of the fellowship

=In ancient universities=

At the ancient universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Trinity College, Dublin, members of the teaching staff typically have two affiliations: one as a reader, lecturer, or other academic rank within a department of the university, as at other universities, and a second affiliation as a fellow of one of the colleges of the university.

The fellows, sometimes referred to as university dons, form the governing body of the college. They may elect a council to handle day-to-day management. All fellows are entitled to certain privileges within their colleges, which may include dining at High Table (free of charge) and possibly the right to a room in college (free of charge).{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

At Cambridge, retired academics may remain fellows.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} At Oxford, however, a governing body fellow would normally be elected a fellow emeritus and would leave the governing body upon his or her retirement.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} Distinguished old members of the college, or its benefactors and friends, might also be elected 'Honorary Fellow', normally for life; but beyond limited dining rights this is merely an honour. Most Oxford colleges have 'Fellows by Special Election' or 'Supernumerary Fellows', who may be members of the teaching staff, but not necessarily members of the governing body.

Some senior administrators of a college such as bursars are made fellows, and thereby members of the governing body, because of their importance to the running of a college.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

=In the U.S.=

At some universities in the United States, "fellows" are members of the board of trustees who hold administrative positions as non-executive trustee rather than academics.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

Industry and corporate fellows

In industries intensive in science, engineering medicine, and research & development, companies may appoint a very small number of top senior researchers as corporate, technical or industry fellows, either in Science or in Engineering. These are internationally recognized leaders who are among the best in the world in their respective fields.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ornl.gov/our-people/corporate-fellows|title=Corporate Fellows {{!}} ORNL|website=www.ornl.gov|access-date=2019-06-17}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_fellowship.html|title=NASA - Langley Employees Among First NASA Technical Fellows|last=LaRC|first=Denise Adams|website=www.nasa.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-06-17|archive-date=2023-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206045910/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_fellowship.html|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bell-labs.com/about/recognition/|title=Nokia Bell Labs: Awards & Recognition|website=www.bell-labs.com|language=en|access-date=2019-06-17}}

Corporate, Technical or Industry Fellow in either Science or Engineering is the most senior rank or title one can achieve in a scientific or engineering career, though fellows often also hold business titles such as Vice President{{Cite web|url=https://www.infoq.com/profile/Chris-Swan/|title=All of Chris Swan's Content on InfoQ|website=www.infoq.com|access-date=2019-06-17}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.pnnl.gov/science/staff/staff_info.asp?staff_num=7673|title=Science at PNNL - Johannes Lercher|website=www.pnnl.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-06-17}} or Chief Technology Officer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pnnl.gov/people/sue-clark|title=Sue Clark {{!}} PNNL|website=www.pnnl.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-06-17}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-big-brains-dave-campbell/|title=Microsoft Big Brains: Dave Campbell|last=Foley|first=Mary Jo|website=ZDNet|language=en|access-date=2019-06-17}}

Notable examples of fellows in scientific, medical and other research-intensive organizations include:

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Fellows{{Cite web |url=https://www.amd.com/en-us/press-releases/Pages/tech-leads-promoted-2011jan23.aspx |title=AMD Promotes Two Technical Leaders to Corporate Fellow |access-date=2018-06-12 |archive-date=2018-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141713/https://www.amd.com/en-us/press-releases/Pages/tech-leads-promoted-2011jan23.aspx |url-status=dead }}
Apple Fellows{{Cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/08/phil-schiller-advances-to-apple-fellow/|title=Phil Schiller Advances to Apple Fellow|website=www.apple.com}}
Battelle Fellows{{Cite web|url=https://www.pnnl.gov/senior-research-fellows|title=Senior Research Fellows | PNNL|website=www.pnnl.gov}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.battelle.org/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-detail/dr.-amy-heintz-named-first-battelle-technical-fellow|title=Dr. Amy Heintz Named First Battelle Technical Fellow|website=Battelle}}
Bell Labs Fellows{{Cite web|url=https://www.bell-labs.com/var/articles/2017-bell-labs-fellows-announced/|title=Nokia Bell Labs: 2017 Bell Labs Fellows Announced|website=www.bell-labs.com|date=7 December 2017}}
Boeing Fellows
[https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/careers/articles/careers-blog-introducing-technology-fellows.html Deloitte Fellows]{{Cite web |title=Introducing Deloitte's Technology Fellows – Life at Deloitte Blog {{!}} Deloitte US |url=https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/careers/articles/careers-blog-introducing-technology-fellows.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Deloitte United States |language=en}}
DXC Technology Fellows{{Cite web|url=https://www.dxc.technology/innovation/insights/144312-dxc_fellows_distinguished_architects_engineers_technologists|title=DXC Fellows, Distinguished Architects, Distinguished Engineers and Distinguished Technologists|website=DXC Technology}}
DuPont Fellows{{Cite web|url=https://www.dupont.com/about/awards-and-recognition.html|title=Awards & Recognition | DuPont|website=www.dupont.com}}
Google fellows{{cite magazine | url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/12/10/the-friendship-that-made-google-huge | title=The Friendship That Made Google Huge | magazine=The New Yorker | date=3 December 2018 | last1=Somers | first1=James }}
Henry Ford Technical Fellows
HP Fellows{{Cite web|url= https://www.hp.com/us-en/hp-information/hp-fellows.html|title=HP Fellows & Sr Fellows|website=HP Corporate Information}}
Intel Fellows{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.intel.com/editorials/intel-senior-fellows-an-exclusive-club/|title=Intel Senior Fellows: An Exclusive Club|website=Intel Newsroom}}
Microsoft Fellows
NASA Fellows{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_fellowship.html|title=NASA - Langley Employees Among First NASA Technical Fellows|first=Denise Adams|last=LaRC|website=www.nasa.gov|access-date=2018-06-07|archive-date=2023-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206045910/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_fellowship.html|url-status=dead}}
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Fellows{{Cite web|url=https://www.ornl.gov/our-people/corporate-fellows|title=Corporate Fellows | ORNL|website=www.ornl.gov}}
RTI International fellows{{Cite web|url=https://www.rti.org/rti-fellow-program|title=RTI Fellow Program|date=February 19, 2016|website=RTI}}
Toray Fellows{{cite web | title=TORAY | website=www.toray.com | url=http://www.toray.com/technology/organization/research/index.html | access-date=2020-07-21 | archive-date=2018-06-20 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620214321/http://www.toray.com/technology/organization/research/index.html | url-status=dead }}

= Nonprofit and government fellowships =

The title fellow can be used for participants in a professional development program run by a nonprofit or governmental organization. This type of fellowship is a short term work opportunity (1–2 years){{cite web|last=UVM Career Services|title=Find Non-Profit Fellowships|url=http://www.uvm.edu/~career/?Page=fellowships.html&SM=otherjobsubmenu.html|publisher=University of Vermont|access-date=19 July 2011}} for professionals who already possess some level of academic or professional expertise that will serve the nonprofit mission. Fellows are given a stipend as well as professional experience and leadership training.